Surviving the Aces (#Wattys2018)

Meet Kennedy

Kennedy came into my room later to give me his phone number.

He sat on the edge of my bed as he handed my phone back to me.

"Thanks." I said with a smile. Kennedy was just as good looking as the rest of the guys in the house. He had dark hair that went with his eyes that could pass as foreboding if they didn't sparkle with a gentle playfulness, if that made any sense.

I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was the only girl in the house of many handsome men. I didn't know how I was going to make it.

"You can stop checking me out now." he said, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Im serious. We're basically siblings now. Unless you're willing to break the rules." he said with a smirk, leaning closer to me.

I shoved him away playfully, laughing.

"Hey, if you ever need anyone to talk to you, don't hesitate to call me. And now that's there's actually someone here worth visiting, maybe I'll come around more often." Kennedy said with a grin.

I smiled. "Geez, what about your mother?" I bumped my shoulder with his. To my surprise, he didn't point out that Bailey wasn't actually his mother.

Kennedy pulled me into a hug, avoiding my question. "See you later alligator."

"So corny." I replied, shaking my head.

"That's how I get all the girls." He said with a wink, causing me to laugh as he left the room.

I had a few more hours to spare before Diego's show so I pulled out my laptop and began surfing the web. I could spend an entire day on my computer and never get bored. It was one of the few things I salvaged when my mother and I went on our own. It was how I learned to get us through living on our own. I had time to watch a few do it yourself videos before there was a knock on the door and not even a second later, a small body barged in, locking the door behind itself.

"Hey Tristan." I greeted in surprise. "What brings you here?"

His eyes were wide as he leaned against the door, taking deep breaths.

"Roderick and I...are playing a game." He managed to get out as he struggled to catch his breath.

I smiled, nodding in understanding. I patted the spot next to me and made space on my bed. "Well, I promise not to give you away. I'm just watching some videos. Wanna join?"

He nodded enthusiastically and jumped onto the bed next to me. "Can we watch funny videos?" He asked me with a huge smile on his face. His eyes were twinkling excitedly, telling me that he did not expect no for an answer.

I laughed. "Of course we can."

He mimicked me and settled himself on his stomach next to me as we began our marathon of funny videos.

Tristan and I had so much fun with each other laughing and joking that I lost track of time and before I knew it, there was only an hour before the show started.

I jumped up from the bed. "I'm gonna hop into the shower. You can keep watching until I get out, then I have to get dressed. Okay?"

Tristan nodded, his eyes not leaving the screen as a boy prepared himself to jump from one rooftop to another. I smiled and shook my head as I grabbed a towel and rushed into my bathroom.

Gregg arrived right on time.

I was wearing one of the brand new dresses that Ash had bought me. It fell above my knee. It was purple with sequins around the waist and one strap wrapped around me on the left.